Given a lag time of eight-to-10 months, Paintearth County council approved the purchase of two new graders for 2025 delivery during the May 7 council meeting.
The proposal from Caterpillar supplier Finning will see two new 160 graders arriving at the county in June 2025.
According to Bryce Cooke, the county's director of public works, there is a positive; with the supply-chain snarls of the last several years slowly starting to resolve, the price for the graders is around $9,000 less than it was in 2023.
Finning has also improved the warranty for the machines to seven years, whereas the Paintearth County equipment replacement policy for graders is six years and 7500 hours.
With this change in warranty, the machines will still have warranty left, and increased value, when the county goes to replace them.
Due to increased utilization, and resale value, the new machines are being purchased with rippers and and the corresponding hydraulics pre-installed.
The graders will cost around $800,000 per machine, including all add-ons and warranties, and be funded through provincial grants, public works equipment reserves, and the sale of old equipment.
According to Cooke, in his report to council, the last graders sent to auction sold for around $225,000 each.
Sports funding
Council received three requests for funding pertaining to sports during the meeting.
The Coronation Curling Club requested a matching donation of $9,392 from the county to go towards paying for the repairs of the facility's ice plant.
According to the request, the Town of Coronation contributed that amount to the repair and users of the facility are approximately 70 per cent county and 30 per cent town.
The County of Paintearth has a recreation funding agreement with the Town of Castor and the Town of Coronation, but neither municipality includes the town's curling facilities.
"You left it out on purpose," said chief administrative officer (CAO) Michael Simpson.
"It's up to you."
Reeve Stan Schulmeister was wary of helping out the facility.
"This will start a landslide," said Schulmeister.
Other councillors disagreed.
"We're in a position where we have a pretty good balance sheet," said Coun. Maurice Wiart.
"Maybe this is something we can support?"
Ultimately, a motion by Coun. Terry Vockeroth passed which has the county matching Coronation's contribution.
A second request for sports funding came from the U15B Consort Cubs baseball team.
The team was requesting funding as part of the county's annual $5,000 held for recreation teams participating in provincial, national, or international tournaments.
Despite the baseball team being based in Consort, a significant number of players are from the county so council agreed to award $500, the maximum allowed under the grant rules.
A final request came from the U15 Castor Crush softball team, which is playing a provincial tournament at the beginning of July.
"It's in line with policy," said Simpson.
The grant was awarded in a motion by Coun. Dale Norton.
Records destruction
As an annual housekeeping item, council has approved the destruction of some records that no longer need to be kept.
Under provincial or federal law, depending on the records, records need to be kept for seven years-plus. Some are required to be kept for as long as 12 years.
Beyond that time, municipalities can destroy the records.
"A council resolution is required," said Simpson.
"We need space in the fault."
According to the list of records to be destroyed in the council request for decision, some of the records slated for destruction go back as far as 1966.
The approval for records destruction was put forward in a motion by Coun. Sandy Shipton.
